Challenge: Before Priceline.com became synonymous with travel, the start-up needed to assess the overall viability of its future interactive travel service that established an entirely new category on the Internet and in travel.

Objective: To understand the short and long-term potential for this new concept in travel and develop an optimal positioning for launch.

Solution: Plan-it conducted multi-phased Qualitative Exploratory and Quantitative Concept Assessment studies to provide input for development of the optimal product for launch, including determining the parameters and features that would drive usage of Priceline, and messaging that would drive interest in trial.

Result: Following Plan-it’s concept and messaging recommendations, Priceline.com was launched nationally in April 1998. Within the first two weeks, Priceline.com received over 10 million hits, and four months after it was launched, Priceline.com was the second most recognized e-commerce brand in the country behind Amazon.com.

Plan-it assisted in the early stage planning and development of a joint venture with American Express that grew faster with higher retention and usage rates than any new business that the company had ever launched. Jord Poster | Co-Founder | Priceline.com | Managing Partner | Genesis Capital Ventures